Mikkos' Dream
by Monica-Ann
Summary: An AU of GH, this supposes what life may have been like had Alexis' mother Kristin not been killed by Helena. Alexis, Cassadines, OFCs


Mikkos' Dream

_This could be one of a series. I have had these stories in my head for years. If I do write a series, this one will be out-of-order, because I just wanted to get this tale written._

_Author's notes: This is an AU of General Hospital. In it, Mikkos is alive. He has been hiding since the birth of Alexis' daughter, Angela. Alexis is not illegitimate, but the true Princess of the House of Cassadine. Sam is not Alexis' daughter, but she does have a connection to the Cassadine family. Alexis has four daughters: Angela, age twenty-seven, who knows the real story of her mother's life; Melanie, age eighteen, a student a Columbia University who also know the secret of the Cassadine Family; Kristina, age six and Molly, age one._

_This story takes place in February of 2007. Alexis has survived the lung cancer, which was revealed to bee yet another plot of Helena's to kill her stepdaughter. When Alexis was fighting for her life, her father finally revealed himself and has been a part of the family ever since. He gets along with both Ric and Sonny. _

_As the story opens, Helena has enacted what is her final plot against Alexis. She has mortally wounded Ric, who is at General Hospital fighting for his life. After that attack, Helena took Mikkos, Alexis and Nikolas hostage on Spoon Island. Angela revealed that Alexis was the rightful heiress to the Cassadine title, that Mikkos was married to Kristin and that Helena has created her own twisted history of the Cassadine family so that her bloodline, that of the House of Villianov, would rule the Cassadines. Working together with Sonny, Luke, Robert, Mac and Lorenzo, as well as Sergei and Mikhail Villanov, Helena's brother and nephew, the hostages were rescued, but not before Mikkos was wounded, throwing himself in front of a bullet fired by Helena meant for Alexis. He is currently at GH, where doctors are trying to save his life. While Mikkos is in surgery, Ric has lost his fight, having died in his room with Alexis, Angela and Sonny present._

_As the doctors work, Mikkos dreams of what his life would be like is Kristin had never been killed. _

Alexis watched the machine keeping her father alive. She had lost so much, in her life and on this day. She didn't think that she could bear to lose her father. Ric was dead. He had been brought to the hospital in the morning having been shot by Helena. That was before that psychopath had taken her, her father and Nikolas hostage, had revealed the darkest secrets of the Cassadine family to her. She got to the hospital, to her husband's room, five minutes before his heart gave out. In shock and horror, she awaited word on her father.

Mikkos was a bear of a man, one she had finally gotten to know for only a few months. She couldn't lose him, not now. The door to the room opened and in walked her oldest daughter, Angela. She had become the female version of Stefan, keeper of all the secrets. Alexis had to look away.

Angela understood the look her mother gave her. She felt awful. But she knew she had to be there, by the side of her mother and grandfather. She looked at the machines monitoring pulse, blood pressure, etc. Then she turned to her mother.

"I need to be here," was all she said.

Alexis wiped tears from her eyes. "I understand."

Angela looked at her grandfather. "Coma is just really a big sleep, to help the body recover with minimum pain. He's asleep. I'm sure he's even dreaming."

Alexis didn't respond.

"I wonder what he's dreaming about?" Angela asked. "When you wake up, grandfather, you'll have to tell us."

Both women looked at Mikkos Cassadine, in bed and in there own way, wondered what he was dreaming of."

Alfred pushed the breakfast cart into the library at Wyndamere. Seated at the large oak desk was Prince Mikhail Ivanovich Cassadine, going over paperwork. Alfred placed the coffee cup on the desk next to the papers.

"It is a big day, is it not sir?" The butler asked.

Mikkos, as his friends and family knew him, look up and smiled. "Yes it is. How are the plans coming along?"

"Very well, sir. It will be a night to remember." With that, Alfred took his leave to continue with the preparations. As he opened the door, Mikkos' heart leapt. In strode his wife of fifty years, looking as lovely that morning as she did all those years ago as she stood beside him and recited her wedding vows at St. Alexander Nevsky Church in Paris. He rose from his seat and walked over to her kissing her passionately.

Age had dimmed Princess Kristin Cassadine. Now at the age of seventy-three, her vibrant blond hair had turned to a silver, still long but piled high on her head. She still moved with grace and elegance, but found herself with more aches and pains every day. She tried to keep up with her two youngest granddaughters with as much energy as she had shown her two eldest, but found it hard. Thankfully, Kristina was at an age where she enjoyed tea parties with her grandmother.

She placed a scone on her dish and sat down next to her husband. At the age of eighty-one, he was still a bear of a man, having put on weight thanks to Mrs. Landsbury's cooking. He still oversaw much of the family business, now mostly the foundations and hospital. Alexis had taken over a lot of the work and Angela was growing into her position, but Mikkos was still a "control freak" as Angela said, in the day-to-day workings. She worried about him, but she also knew he was healthy, as Dr. Monica Quartermaine had said at a recent check-up. Kristin smiled as she saw him reading a report.

"Darling, do you know what today is?" She asked sweetly, as she did every year. It had become a game over the years. He would act forgetful and she would tease him about it. Today, however, he diverged from the script.

"Yes. Today, fifty years ago, I married an angel, one who I had loved from the moment I saw her and the one I will love until my dying day. To celebrate this day, we will dine with our family; our children, our grandchildren, all those we love.

As if on cue, the door opened and in walked their eldest daughter, Mikkos' heir, Natalya Alexandra Cassadine, aka Alexis Davis, Esq. When she had attended Yale, her father had advised her to assume a different name, for her safety. To be as Cassadine at the time was dangerous, so she had taken the name Alexis, a feminized version of Alexei, the name of the tsarevich. Tall and lean, with her father's coloring but her mother's spirit, she was everything they had hoped for in a first-born. Accompanying her was her eldest daughter, Angela Marie Davis. Angela was the elder of two girls Alexis had with her first husband, attorney Patrick Davis. The mother and daughter smiled at the couple on the couch, as Alexis turned to Angela.

"I hope I can be like that in forty-eight years," Alexis said wistfully.

Mikkos threw a confused look at Alexis, but Angela explained, "She and Ric had a disagreement. Nothing too serious, just a way Ric is dealing with a case."

"I told him which precedents would be the biggest impact on his arguments, but he want to do it his way. I told him, fine, lose the case your way." She picked at a scone as she sat down.

Mikkos sighed. "I do hope that you will have resolved this issue by this evening."

Alexis got up and kissed her father on the cheek. "Don't worry. I suspect he will be coming around to my way of thinking any minute now." With that, Ric Lansing barged into the library, steamed. Alexis turned to her father. "See, I knew it."

Ric glared at Alexis but went over and kissed his mother-in-law on the cheek. Mikkos loudly cleared his throat, bringing the morning meeting to order. After a half-hour of back and forth with Alexis and Ric, with Angela interjecting now and then, and another hour of an actual meeting, the three left. All would be back later on for the dinner and surprise party Mikkos was planning.

The rest of the day went by quietly. At five-thirty, Kristin went upstairs to get ready. Fifteen minutes later, Angela entered the library on the arm of her fiancé, Count Mikhail Villianov. She was stunning in a spaghetti-strap purple dress. Mikhail was in a tuxedo with a straight tie. Next were Alexis, Ric and the younger granddaughter, Melanie, Kristina and Molly. Viola was with them, as she would be watching the little children afterwards. Ric and Alexis were bickering as they entered, but stopped as they saw Mikkos. Kristina ran to her grandfather, who gathered her up in an embrace.

Alexis embraced her father. "Don't worry. I spoke to her earlier. She is on her way. Ned had a family crisis, so she will be alone."

Mikkos looked skyward. "A Quartermaine crisis? Should I sell my ELQ stock?" Mikkos asked jokingly.

As if hearing her father's comment, Kristina Cassadine entered and gave him a chiding look. "The Quartermaine's are not having a crisis, but Ned needs to be with them. As such, I shall be unescorted this evening."

"You need not be," another voice spoke. Stefan Cassadine walked in, arm-in-arm with his wife, Chloe Cassadine. "I do have another arm free."

Everyone laughed, but Kristina swatted her brother's arm away. "No, I wouldn't think of taking you away from your lovely wife."

They were having drinks when Nikolas Cassadine entered the library, armed a diaper bag and his son, Spencer Cassadine. He was there a few minutes when Kristin came down to find her family all together. Soon, Molly and Spencer were put to bed and the rest of the family went into the dining room. Once seated, Stefan stood and tapped his wine glass with his fork. The room fell silent.

"As we all know, we are all gather here this evening to pay homage to two people who are the shining example of true love. They have been through much, but for fifty years they have been married, raise two children and seen the birth of four grandchildren."

Angela interrupted Stefan at that point. "Don't you mean three children, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild?"

Stefan glared at her. Nikolas saw the look and took up were his uncle left off. "If you had let him finished, Angela, he would have added himself, Spencer and myself. To continue, not only did they have this family, but also they have loved so much, they included my uncle, my son and myself into their family. Uncle Stefan and I would like to propose a toast to the love of family."

Alexis stood next. "Father and Mother, you are an inspiration to those who are looking for the perfect marriage. You have dedicated yourself to each other over all these years."

Ric stood up with his glass in hand. "Despite any problems you have encountered that would have destroyed a lesser couple, you continue to love with that same passion, not diminished one day these last fifty years. Alexis and I would like to propose as toast to the love of a marriage."

Kristina stood and turned to her parents. "As we all know the story, Mother and Father were connected at first sight. This is a bond that cannot be explained with conventional means. All we can say to explain it is simply they are soul mates. I would like to propose a toast to the love of soul mates."

Angela stood, raising her glass. "I have read a great deal about the history of out family, the Cassadines. Where most marriages of nobles are based on finances, the Cassadines bank on love. I see this example everyday, when I see my grandparents. I would like to propose a toast to the legacy of love."

Mikkos looked at his family – two daughter, four granddaughters, two men he thought of as the son and grandson he never had. He then looked at his wife – his angel. He stood, raising his glass. "I would like to toast to the woman I have loved for seventy three years. Kristin, you are my heart, my soul and my life. May I never know a day without you."

The rest of the meal proceeded normally. At around nine, the family moved back into the library, and Mikkos turned to everyone. "If you will excuse me, my bride and I will continue this party alone." Offering Kristin his arm, he said. "My dear, if you will follow me." With that they left. On the mainland, a car picked them up, taking them on a circuitous route to the MetroCourt Hotel. When they arrived in the restaurant, it was darkened.

"I think you made a mistake, my darling. It appears to be closed." But as she finished her sentence, the light came on and it seemed that most of Port Charles was inside. There was Jasper Jacks and Carly Corinthos, Sonny Corinthos and his sons, Luke, Laura and Lulu Spencer, Lucky and Elizabeth Spencer, Audrey Hardy, Lorenzo Alacazer and his son Diego, Dillon Quartermaine and Georgie Jones, Edward, Tracy, Alan and Monica Quartermaine, Ned Ashton, Patrick and Noah Drake, Robert and Robin Scorpio, Anna Devane, Sky Chandler, Mac Scorpio and Felicia Jones, Maxie Jones, Bobbie Spencer and her son Lucas, Jason Morgan and Sam McCall, all there in the room. In the center of the floor the only few who had been in the church fifty years ago, his brother Victor, his aunt, Eugenia and his cousin Marina, along with her husband Philip DeWolfe and son Christopher, along with his date, Emily Quartermaine. Kristin was too overcome with words. The family had come from Wyndamere and was also in the center of the floor.

Angela took center stage and hushed the applause of the crowd. "My family would like to thank you all for being here. I won't say much more, because the bride and groom will open this party with the first dance. Before that, if you would all raise your glasses in toast. To Mikkos and Kristin!" The crowd replied "To Mikkos and Kristin!"

Mikkos set his and his wife's glasses down and took her in his arms. A spotlight shone on them and it was as if the crowd had disappeared. He looked into her eyes. "How I love you, my darling. How could I even go a day without you? You are like breath to me, something I need to live."

Kristin smiled, but it was not her radiant smile. It was sad, heartbreakingly so. "You live because you have your daughter and granddaughters. They are what you live for. They have been what you have lived for all these years."

Mikkos was now melancholy. "I don't want to let you go."

Kristin understood. "You will have to. Natasha has a new life to absorb. She will need her father there for guidance. But remember, I will be there, guiding you." She had tears in her eyes. "And know this, that we will be together someday."

The spotlight dimmed and Kristin faded. The only person left in the room was Ric Lansing. He looked around. "This is were we part, I guess. I have one request to make of you. Tell my daughter that I love her and that I always will. And please, take care of Alexis." With that Ric held out his hand.

Mikkos looked at it. He took his hand and embraced his son-in-law. "I swear that I will look after all of them for you." Mikkos looked at a white light formed behind Ric. "I envy you. You will be with your mother and my wife. Tell Kristin, tell her that I love her."

Ric nodded. "My mother wanted me to tell you to tell Sonny that she is sorry for what she put him through and that she loved him so much." With that said, Ric shook Mikkos' hand and turned to the light. Mikkos watched and the light grew, illuminating the room.

There was a change in the beep of the machines. Alexis and Angela were startled and look at Mikkos. His eyes fluttered open as he saw his daughter and granddaughter standing over his bed. He smiled up at them and spoke, so low they could barely hear him.

"What a wonderful dream I have to tell you about."


End file.
